Newcastle United and the other 19 Premier League clubs will be asked whether they would consider piloting safe standing at their grounds in the future.

Top-flight and second-tier football stadia in England, including St James’ Park, have been outlawed from permitting standing since the 1990 Taylor Report.

That report was commissioned in the aftermath of the 1989 Hillsborough Disaster, which saw 96 Liverpool fans die at Sheffield Wednesday’s stadium during an FA Cup semi-final in April 1989.

However, a questionnaire - aimed at tackling the issue of persistent standing which already occurs at matches - will be issued by the Premier League to all top-flight clubs in the coming days, including Newcastle.

Within the document, clubs will be asked whether they would be receptive to trialling a pilot area for safe standing in the future - although a timeframe is not specified, the idea remains just a consultation and not a proposal, and it will not become a compulsory measure if it gets the go ahead.

Some Newcastle supporters’ groups have made their support for safe standing known in recent months - while a question about this topic was even raised at a Fans Forum meeting in February.

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Whether the club would trial should a measure remains to be seen, though Newcastle’s hierarchy are expected to examine the questionnaire - which is part of a Premier League feasibility study on the matter - once they receive it and then discuss their response in the coming week.

The Magpies’ head of safety and security, Steve Storey, is expected to assess whether the club would be able to introduce the measure safely and legally before Newcastle send their response to the Premier League.

However, it is understood that a Newcastle delegation who visited Celtic Park at the beginning of the year to see first-hand how safe standing works were impressed by the set-up in Glasgow.

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Responding to a question about safe standing at the Fans Forum in February, Storey did stress that “the club could not make any commitments on the issue” until legislation permits - yet he did not dismiss the idea out of hand either.

It is unclear whether a change in legislation would be needed in order to permit safe standing, with The Daily Mail having quoted a Department for Culture, Media and Sport spokesperson as stating on the matter: “The Government has no plans to introduce standing accommodation at grounds covered by the all-seater requirement.”

What is ‘safe standing’?

Safe standing is popular across Europe and was introduced at Celtic Park last season. The most common form of safe standing uses ‘rail seats’; each supporter stands behind a waist-high security barrier which is designed to prevent potential surging. There are also fold-out, unlockable seats attached to each rail, which are used during UEFA matches - because international competitions require all-seater stadia.

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Supporters of safe standing claim that the risks associated with old terraces no longer apply to this new format given the introduction of safety barriers. Some even argue that introducing a standing area will in fact improve safety levels at grounds, given that a lot of supporters refuse to be seated anyway. They also believe ticket prices could be lowered as a result, and they believe atmospheres would improve too.

However, there remain those who are vehemently against standing returning to football grounds, primarily regarding safely concerns. There is understandably strong opposition on Merseyside, with the Hillsborough Family Support Group against it - though the Hillsborough Justice Campaign has stressed they would support a full debate on the issue. Some fans are also against safe standing because they believe all-seater stadia make for a more welcoming environment for children, women and family - though those in favour argue it would only be a section of the ground taken up by this new measure.